St Clement Church Community Twelfth Sunday after Trinity Sunday Service
Good morning and welcome to our service.
‘Who do you say that I am?’ This is the question that should lie at the core of our being, and so in answering it, make each of us, the person Christ wants us to be.
With love to you all
Liz
Let us pray:
We meet together in the presence of God whose love is freedom, whose touch is healing, whose voice is calm. We meet not in our own strength but in the knowledge that God’s Spirit abides with us, in our worship today and in our daily lives when we depart from this place. The blessing we receive is shared, in the hope that others may be drawn to the God we serve.
Amen
We say together:
Lift our eyes to seek You first today, and always, surrendering our need to achieve, understand and be known. Move our perspective to seek Your peace above all else. In every situation we ponder in our daily lives, let the Holy Spirit translate Your commands. Give us renewed strength and godly courage to obey You without questioning. Forgive us for striving beyond our means, worrying, and forcing results. Only You know what lies ahead. You are our good Father, just and righteous. Though our circumstances will be unfair from time to time in this life, You are always our unwavering protector and shield. Let your peace rain down on us today, as we seek You more than anything else. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Hymn: 640 The Church’s one foundation
Prayer of Penitence
Let us say together
Lord God, your love for humankind, present in the beginning of all things, extends throughout history and touches even my life. Your love sees failings and forgives. Your love feels pain and wipes away our tears. Your love knows grief and comforts the sorrowful. Your love sees sin and still loves the sinner. Forgive us when we fail to live lives that reflect your love. Forgive us the many times when we take for granted all that you have done for us. Transform us, through your Spirit, and empower us to serve you this day and all days.
Amen.
Let us pray our Collect for the twelfth Sunday after Trinity
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Readings:
Isaiah 51. 1 - 6
Romans 12. 1 - 8
Hymn: 560 Praise my soul the King of heaven
Gospel: Matthew 16. 13 - 20
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah.
(This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.)
Reflection
‘But who do you say that I am?’
It’s interesting – having been born and brought up in Cornwall, indeed, in Truro, Jesus’ question about Himself, I could well have attached to myself. Truro being such a small community, about 11,000 then, you were known by who your family was. I was known as Mrs Eddy Senior’s granddaughter, Dr Eddy’s daughter, Mrs Eddy’s daughter and John Eddy’s sister. Indeed, when I finally came home in 1979 after being away for 14 years, I was suddenly Mr Eddy’s granddaughter and that gave me much kudos (He had been a headteacher in the city – and indeed Father Harold was delighted to meet me, telling me some very special and pertinent to him stories about my grandfather who I never met.) The one person I never was, was me in my own right. I had to become a student, many miles away, to finally get a ‘me’ identity. Indeed, even now, nearly 40 years after my father’s death, people still ask, ‘Are you Dr Eddy’s daughter?’ some, at our monthly Coffee Mornings! But, I wonder, who am I really?
One day, a king comes to his garden and sees withering and dying trees, bushes and flowers. An oak says it dies because it can’t be as high as a pine.
A pine tree is falling down because it can’t give grapes like a grapevine.
Meanwhile the grapevine is dying because it can’t blossom like a rose.
But soon, the king finds a single plant, pleasing the heart, blooming and fresh.
The king asks: ‘All the trees and flowers here are withering, and you are flourishing. Why?’
The plant replies, ‘I think it comes naturally. You have planted me, because it is your wish and your choice. If you would like to grow an oak, grapes, or a rose, you would plant them. I cannot be anything else other than what I am. So, I try to develop my best qualities.’
If we look at ourselves, we can only be ourselves. It is impossible for us to become someone else. We can enjoy life and blossom or we can wither if we do not accept ourselves.
But, to get back to today’s Gospel reading and that question.
‘But who do you say that I am?’
We are about half way through Matthew’s Gospel, so one could think that Jesus is saying, ‘Ok, let’s see what you’ve learned and if you really understand. Who am I?’
Most of us know the right answer. We’ve read or heard Peter’s answer ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ But, I don’t think this is about giving the right answer, It isn’t a test. This is not about what is in our head, but in our heart. It’s about what lies at the core of our existence. Jesus is asking the disciples to consider what is the axis about which their world turns. What is at the centre of their lives? It’s not about giving the right answer, rather they are to become and reveal the answer by their lives, words and actions. These are the things that are the foundation to a life of discipleship.
We all have some centre from which we live – people, things and experiences tend to become our anchor point, the centre of our life. They give us bearings and stability. Our centre affects our life and the direction we go. Our partner, children, friends, or other relationships can easily become the centre of our world. Sometimes it’s our beliefs, opinions or prejudices. Anger or fear can be at the centre of our life. For some, profound loss and grief become their world’s centre. Whatever it is, that centre is capable of propelling, enlivening, and growing us or it can keep us stuck and stagnant.
We often discover what lives at the centre of our world when the experiences and circumstances of life suddenly knock us off kilter. Everything is thrown off track and we struggle to regain our centre. Sometimes that means that we have settled for something other than Christ on which to centre our lives. Christ is the true centre. That doesn’t mean there won’t be difficulties, pain or losses. It means that when they occur, the centre holds and let’s face it, we all need a centre that will hold.
To the Jews, Israel is the centre of the world. At the centre of Israel is Jerusalem and at the centre of Jerusalem is the temple. In the centre of the temple is the holy place and in its centre is the ark, the presence and glory of God. Underneath the ark is the foundation, the rock upon which all rests.
The imagery of that takes us deeper and deeper to the centre of the centre of the centre. This is exactly what Jesus is doing with His questions in our reading today.
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
‘But who do you say that I am?’
In the first question Jesus is asking what the disciples hear and see around them. In the second question, He wants to know what they hear and see within themselves. Jesus is always pushing us to go deeper, to look within and discover who or what our life is centred on, and then to re-centre. But, we are followers of Christ. Isn’t He our centre? Maybe so, but the life of discipleship is one of continual re-centring.
‘You are the Messiah, the Son of God, the living one,’ Simon Peter says. This is more than just an answer. With these words he has re-centred his life. Christ is the axis around which Peter will present his body ‘as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.’
‘Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah … I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church. Jesus re-names Simon. His Greek name is Petros, which means rock.
Every time the lines of our life converge on Christ, we become rock-like. We become the foundation, the rock, on which rests the Church, the new ark that holds and reveals the presence and glory of God.
With all its frailties Jesus chooses human life and relationships to be the rock on which He builds His Church. We aren’t rocks that are unmovable or unchangeable. As water slowly forms and shapes a rock over time, so does a lifetime of re-centring form and shape us to be Christ’s foundation in this world.
Let’s be honest, it’s not easy. It’s something we do over and over again and we don’t always get it right. Look at Peter. He is the one of little faith sinking in the water. He doesn’t understand the parables. He argues with Jesus and ends up being called Satan. He falls asleep when he is supposed to be praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He denies knowing Jesus. Through it all he is being shaped, formed, moulded into the rock Jesus knew him to be. Ultimately, Peter is crucified for re-centring, following and loving Jesus.
‘Who do you say that I am?’
We shouldn’t just answer the question, we should go and live it. We should discover the ‘rock-ness’ that Jesus knows us to be. We should live with hope in the midst of despair, and love our neighbour as ourselves. We should be the rock on which Jesus’ Church stands before the world.
Amen
Affirmation of our faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen
Hymn: 152 For the beauty of the earth
Our Intercessions
Everlasting God, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ and for revealing Him as Messiah and Saviour of the World. Thank you that your Son gave Peter the keys to the kingdom as a reward for his lively and outspoken faith and so became the bedrock foundation of your Church here on earth.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Creator God, you have given us a world of wonder – rugged and majestic landscapes, mighty seas, plants, and trees that take one’s breath away, amazing animals and creatures, the very existence of which are threatened by our selfishness.
At this time, we bring before you all the countries and communities around the world facing catastrophic fires and floods. Be with those whose lives have been dramatically changed with the loss of family members, homes, and livelihoods. Be with them as they begin to rebuild their homes, their communities, and their lives. Help us to be custodians and protectors of your creation, not destroyers, so that generations to come may also share in and appreciate the wonders of your world.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
We pray for our world leaders, for the heads of state in Europe, the Commonwealth and for the United Nations. As we look around the world, we see the dissent, the trouble, the greed, and the need for self-importance that constantly tears away at the well-being of all. We need to live in peace with all, appreciating and delighting in differences and working together for the common good.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Father God, we pray for our children and grandchildren who will soon be returning to school, colleges, and universities to continue their education. Help us to pass on to them the wisdom that has been passed down to us from generations before us. Help all students - give them wisdom to listen and to learn.
Help all teachers and lecturers to instil a love of learning so that each, and every student may achieve of their best.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Loving God, we ask for your wisdom to discern your wishes and direction in our lives and ask your help to discern how to deal with others in our daily lives; those we live and work with; those we meet in shops and supermarkets; those with whom we share our roads and those who serve us in cafes and restaurants. May we never be a ‘stumbling block’ to those we meet in our daily lives.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Gracious and loving God, we pray for all who are housebound, in nursing homes, those in hospital and struggling at home. We thank you for our local hospitals, health centres, clinics and for all those working in sheltered accommodation and care homes. We pray for all who are finding life difficult, whether in body, mind, or spirit. Enfold them in your love that they may be reassured that they never have to face the hard times alone.
We especially pray for all those we know, for Ken and Reverend Di, May, Terry and Dot, Michael and Patricia, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Brian, Diana, Rob and Alison, Sandra and Barrie, Rupert and Linda, Callum, Jay, Andy, and all those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Merciful God, we pray for all those who have departed this life, remembering James, and for those bereaved by their passing. Help us to be caring and loving and always ready to help practically in their time of greatest need.
Lord, hear us; Lord, graciously hear us.
Holy God, we thank you that your wisdom not only enlightens us but transforms us and guides us as we go from this place of worship and into our daily walk with you.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Gathering our prayers and praises into one,
Let us pray with confidence as our risen Lord taught us;
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Jesus the Messiah by Anita Omogbai
The world that was made by Him, knew not He taught, healed, and loved them yet was hated
He who knew no sin was made sin for us to be the righteousness of God He took our place and declared us not guilty of our offences And now, as many as received Him are now sons of God and have the life of God: ETERNAL LIFE a life without pain, shame and death.
For this purpose, He came for us to be saved, justified, made righteous and to live life to the fullest.
He is Jesus the Messiah!
Prayer of Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love, where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
Let us greet one another as a sign of God’s peace.
Hymn: 631 Tell out my soul
Blessing
Heavenly Father, we share together the blessing of your presence. Give us in this life knowledge of your truth, and in the world to come life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen